Gaining Customer Trust: A Conceptual Guide for the Salesperson |
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| Authors: | John E Swan Johannah Jones Nolan |
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| Institution: | 1. John E. Swan (D.B.A., Indiana University) is the Birmingham Business Associates Professor of Marketing at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Dr. Swan has contributed articles to the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Personal Selling &2. Sales Management, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Applied Psychology, Business Horizons, Journal of Advertising Research and other publications. He has written papers for Proceedings of the American Marketing Association, AIDS, ACR and American Psychological Association. He serves on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Business Research and Journal of Personal Selling &3. Sales Management.;4. Dr. Johannah Jones Nolan is currently an Assistant Professor at the A.B. Freeman School of Business, Tulane University. Her research interests include strategic marketing processes and word-of-mouth communication as a marketing variable. She has been published in the Journal of Perceptual and Motor Skills and in national and regional proceedings. Her degree was earned at the University of Alabama. |
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| Abstract: | AbstractThis article applies what the behavioral sciences know about trust to industrial sales situations. Trust between an industrial buyer and salesperson is defined cognitively and behaviorally. A model of this trust-building process is presented and appropriate behaviors for sales representatives who wish to build trust are discussed. The interactions between experience, general knowledge, and trust building are examined in light of possible situations a sales representative might encounter. The findings suggest that both firm and salesperson can act positively to build and maintain trust with their clients. |
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